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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. track — a song
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. season — of the year
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. board — a committee
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. board — to get on
  16. track — a path
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. chair — a leader
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lean — thin
  23. track — to keep track
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com